Scythians

The Scythians were a nomadic Iranian people who inhabited the steppes of the northern Black Sea and Caucasus in a land known as Scythia from the 9th century BC to the 4th century AD. According to the Bible, the Scythians were descended from Ashkenaz, a descendant of Noah, and they were the ancestors of Ashkenazi Jews; this region placed their location of origin in north-east Turkey and a region to the north of the Black Sea. The Scythians were among the earliest peoples to master mounted warfare, raiding Zhou dynasty-era China in the 8th century BC, dislodging the Cimmerians from power on the Pontic Steppe, and dominating the steppe from the Carpathians in the west to central China and south Siberia in the east, creating the first Central Asian steppe empire. They established and controlled the Silk Road trade route, and, during the 7th century BC, they crossed the Caucasus and frequently raided the Middle East alongside the Cimmerians. From 650 to 630 BC, they dominated the Medes of Iran, stretching their power to the borders of Egypt. However, the Scythians lost control of Media, and they took part in the destruction of the Assyrian Empire in 612 BC and wars against the Persian Empire. During the 4th century BC, they suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Macedon when their king Ateas was slain, and they were gradually conquered by the Sarmatians. During the 2nd century BC, attacks by the Xiongnu and other tribes in China forced the Scythians to migrate to South Asia. In Eastern Europe, the Scythians were eventually assimilated and absorbed into the Slavs, and, in Northwest China, they were converted to Islam and assimilated by the Turkic peoples.